The safest and most reliable way to mail individual baseball cards is to use a penny sleeve and toploader. Penny sleeves are inexpensive, thin protective sleeves that slide into a toploader for added support and rigidity. They run around $5 for a pack of 100 penny sleeves on sites like eBay or Amazon. Toploaders are thicker, rigid plastic sheets that protect the card inside the penny sleeve. Make sure to get the appropriately sized toploader – usually either 35pt or 67pt – depending on the size of the card.

Once you have your penny sleeve and toploader, gently slip the baseball card into the penny sleeve so it fits snugly inside without excess movement. Then slide the penny sleeve with card inside into the toploader, making sure it fits snugly as well. This provides protection on all sides of the card from potential bending or scuffing during transit.

For mailing, you’ll need an envelope and postage stamps. I recommend using a bubble mailer envelope rather than just a regular letter envelope, as bubble mailers provide much more protection. You can purchase bubble mailers on sites like eBay or office supply stores fairly cheaply. Make sure to get a size that fits your toploaded card comfortably but snugly without excess room for movement inside the mailer.

Next, seal the bubble mailer using clear packing tape along all the seams so there are no gaps or openings for the card to slip through. This adds an extra layer of security. Then weigh your sealed bubble mailer with the card inside to determine appropriate postage. Stamps are preferred over metered postage as they are less likely to cause delays. You’ll need First Class stamps for something under 13 ounces, which a single card comfortably falls under.

After affixing the proper postage amount to the top left of your bubble mailer, fill out the recipient address clearly on the front as well as your return address on the back in case it gets returned. I also recommend adding a note inside mentioning the contents are a single baseball card and asking the recipient to confirm receipt, in case an insurance claim needs to be filed later for a lost item.

For tracking and insuring delivery, you have a few options. First Class mail alone does not come with tracking, but you can upgrade to Priority Mail which is trackable and insurable for lost items up to $100 with a added cost. Or use a shipping service like eBay’s calculated shipping labels which often provide tracking and insurance for rates comparable to Priority Mail itself.

Speaking of insurance, I highly recommend purchasing insurance for anything valuable being shipped, just in case it gets lost or damaged in transit. baseball cards that might be worth $20 or more new in the package likely qualify. Insurance rates are very reasonable added cost for the peace of mind it provides both sender and recipient.

With proper packaging in a toploader inside a sealed, taped bubble mailer and using appropriate postage and tracking/insurance as needed, your individual baseball card should travel safely through the mail. Be sure to message the recipient when shipped for expected arrival dates based on their location, and follow up if it’s late or lost. With these precautions and communication, you can reliably mail baseball cards to collectors with confidence. Let me know if any part of the process needs further explanation!